After the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings 113-89 last Thursday and took the first two games of the five-game series, almost everyone in Southern California began to tilt his seat back, place his feet on a table, pop open a Corona and prepare for some calm, smooth sailing.
The possibility of a three-game sweep was inevitable, or so we thought. Somebody did not tell Chris Webber and the rest of the Kings that they were supposed to bow down and let the Lakers walk away as the victors.
Now, seven days after the Lakers last defeated Sacramento at the Staples Center, Los Angeles has returned to its home court to hopefully prevent the Kings from winning the series.
The Kings answered back from a two-game deficit in the series by winning two games of their own. The Lakers lost Sunday, 99-91, in Sacramento. No big deal, they won the first two games, gave away the third, but will end up winning the fourth game.
Yeah, right.
On Tuesday, the Kings looked as if they were a better team than the Lakers, who trailed from the opening buzzer to the game’s end. Sacramento smacked the Lakers 101-88 in front of its home crowd. How embarrassing it was for the Lakers to lose by such a margin.
Webber led the Sacramento attack with 23 points. Pretty good. The Lakers once again had good performances by Kobe Bryant (32 points) and Shaq O’Neil, who had 25 points and 16 rebounds. O’Neil did, however, had trouble at the line, making 5-of-12 foul shots.
Off of the bench, the Kings dominated the Lakers, scoring 42 points to the Lakers’ eight. The entire Sacramento squad obviously wanted the game more, while most of the Lakers relied on the key players to take them to the next level.
I am sick of the Sacramento Kings. For the past few years they have given the Lakers problems on different occasions. They have handed Los Angeles a loss here and a loss there. This can be the biggest upset the Kings are in the midst of executing.
And what do the L.A. fans think? What is going on? The Lakers have been untouchable for most of the season and now they are one game away from taking an exit from the playoff picture. The Lakers are too talented to even be in the position they are in right now.
The Lakers ended the regular season with a 67-15 record and were the heavy favorite to win the NBA championship. The Lakers are the only hope for any sort of championship for Los Angeles fans.
The Dodgers and Anaheim Angels have plagued L.A. with average performances for the past few years. Both teams are not doing that bad right now, but it is early in the season and they have a lot to prove. The L.A. Kings and Ducks are showing no signs of bringing a Stanley Cup to Southern California anytime soon. Since we have no home football team, well, Los Angeles natives cannot even enjoy watching a professional game without taking a road trip.
With as much talent they have, the Lakers hold the key to bringing back recognition and pride to the area.
As far as tonight’s Game 5, the Lakers will not lose (knock on wood). They have not lost to the Kings at home in the four times the two teams have faced each other at the Staples Center. Laker fans, have no fear!
The Lakers will be on fire and supported by thousands of crazy, die-hard fans. Each player will have career game highs and the L.A. bench will also be a major factor with its contribution to the game. Los Angeles will be the world champions!
Back to reality: the Lakers have much riding on this game, and being the most talented team in the NBA, will need to play with the desire and play with the tough defense and fast-breaking offense that has made them the team they are.
Since Shaq will be on his home court, the fans will not be fighting to break his concentration on foul shots. Opponents cannot contain Shaq and fouls are unavoidable. His performance on the line will be a whole lot better.
A Los Angeles victory is in the bag (at least it should be).
Damien Alarcon, a senior journalism major, is editor in chief of the Campus Times. He can be reached by e-mail at alarcond@ulv.edu.
